Sat 7/1 @ 3-5PM
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens are launching a new series of programs, called World on Stage, intended to draw attention to how they’ve diversified in recent years, moving away from their Eurocentric early decades to encompass cultures from all over the world, such as Ethiopia, whose garden was dedicated in 2019, and Colombia, whose currently minimalist garden is in its early stages, and Pakistan, whose garden is currently piles of dirt and an excavator across from the Irish garden (dedicated in 1939).
The first such event will be dedicated to Africa, and some of its 54 countries and hundreds of peoples, even though the continent is currently represented only by the Ethiopian Garden (There’s an Egyptian garden in the planning stages.) But there will be representation from different parts of Africa with music, dance, fashion and food, and the opportunity to learn more about their cultures.
The program will open with 99 Treasures Art & Culture doing an African drumming and spoken word presentation, Akron’s Black Beanz dance ensemble, an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony and conclude with performers from Cleveland’sDjapo Cultural Arts Institute doing music and drumming from Mali, Senegal, Guinea and the Ivory Coast.
The event, originally scheduled for Centennial Peace Plaza, will take place at St. Casimir Church at 8223 Sowinski. It’s free and open to all.